Crate corners and rail bottom



Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDWARD M. PENNOCK, OF MINNEAPOLIS, IV'IINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR T0 G. H. TENNANT COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPGRATION OF MINNESOTA CRATE CORNERS AND RAIL BOTTOM Application filed June 13,

My invention relates to a crate construction wherein a bottom reinforced edge is provided and particularly adapted to 'milk bottle crates. The construction includes the crate corners and rail bottom which reinforces the crate which is designed to provide a smooth wearing surface where the rail bottom and corner portions coincide in shape and formation so as to overcome a uniform joint between these members and providing a rounded edge in the corner construction which is uniform with the rail structure.

A feature of the invention resides in a crate which is made up of wooden slats which form the side walls and means for. holding these sides together so that the crate will stand the wear and tear in the rough handling when it is filled with milk bottles. Crates of this nature when used for milk bottles are passed through the washing ar which cleanses and sterilizes the bottles and the wooden slats forming the side Walls become damp and soft so that if the corners and bottom edges are not well protected they quickly wear out. It is customary to run these milk bottle crates along gravity carriers and in handling and loading the same it is very desirable that the lower edges of the crate be protected against wear. I accomplish this by providing a reinforcing metal rail which is secured along the bottom edge of the lower slat.

In the attaching of the rail to the lower edge of the bottom slat it is desirable that the metal rail be formed with rounded edges so that it will readily ride over the wheels of the gravity carriers and heretofore the corner reinforcing members have been formed with more or less sharp edges rather than having the same uniform formation of the corner member with the rail member extending along the lower edge of the slat. I form the corner member with rounded edges to conform with the rounded edges of the rail and to provide .a joint between the corner reinforcing members and the rail of a uniform nature and thereby overcoming a break at the joint and also doing away with the square corners on the edges of the corner reinforcing member. If the edges on the cor- 1930. Serial No. 460,9Q8.

ner member are of a different shape than the rail, then the corner member will stop the crates on the gravity carrier and will wear off, making a sharp or open corner edge.

These features together with other partic ular details will be more fully and clearly set forth throughout the specification and claims,

In the drawing forming part of my specification: I

Figure 1 illustrates a milk bottle crate asv it ordinarily appears with my einforcing rail and corner reinforcing applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an inside perspective of a detail portion of the corner looking up from the bottom portion.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail through the corner on the line 33 of Figure 2, and also showing a portion broken out to show a sectioniof the rail and corner reinforcing at the meeting joint.

The milk bottle crate A is made up with its side walls formed of a series of slats 10, of wood, or other similar material, so as to form a means of protection for the bottles within the crate, and wood having a desirable nature to accomplish this result is more commonly employed than other material. Any suitable non-metallic material can be employed for the slats 10 of the crate A.

The slats 10 are connected together and are reinforced at the corners by the outside corner member 11 of a right-angular cross section and the inside corner member 12 of a similar right-angular cross section. The inside corner member is formed with a stacking lug 13 which projects above the top edge 14: of the milk bottle crate A.

The outsideangle corner member 11 is split at the corner edge to form flanges 16 which may be bent around the lower edge 17 of the slats 10 at the corners and these flanges overlap the lower portion 18 of the inside corner angles 12. Then by means of a suitable rivet 19 the fianges 16, angle corner member 12 and the outer angle corner member 11 are secured together. This secures outside and inside, corner angle members 11 and 12 firmly together.

In forming the flanges 16 over the lower edge 17 of the slats 10, at the corners the flanges are formed with an arcuated lower edge 20 having curved side edges 21 so as to form a smooth portion over the corner of the crate. This arcuated lower edge 20 with the rounded corner edges 21 conforms with and is of the exact same shape as the formation of the channel rail 22 over the lower edge of the lower slats 10. The channel rail 22 is formed with the arcuated lowersurface 23 which is the same formation as the portion 20 and the,

overlap the corners of the lower edge of the crate as the cross sectional shape of the channel rail 22. The channel rail 22 together with the inwardly overlapping flanges 16 form a protective metal reinforcing rail along the bottom edge of the lower slat 10 about the entire crate A'and the portions of the rail'22 with the flanges 16 which connect at the joint at 27 extend in line to form a smooth even joint. This structure forms a milk bottle crate with a reinforced metal lower edge which is perfectly smooth along the bottom, the corner being of the same shape and formation as the rail 22 and thus no sharp edges or corners project to catch against the rollers of the gravity carriers on which the milk bottle crates ride in use or when these crates are dragged over a'cement floor in use, the corners willnot wear out before thebottom rail as did former structures of crates which had a sharp corner structure which would Wear out before the other part of the rail and make an open corner in the crate which would catch against articles and on the gravity carriers, making a very objectionable structure.

My new crate structure and rail formation for the bottom of the crate is of primary importance and accomplishes a result long clesired in the manufacture of milk bottle crates.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described my invention and while I have illustrated certain detail and structure I desire to have it understood that the same is only suggestive of a means of carrying out the principles of the invention and obvious adaptations and changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without cleparting from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A milk bottle crate made of wooden slats, the bottom slat thereof having a reinforcing means including a metal channel rail dove-tailed to the bottom edge having a lower wearing surface, and corner metal reinforcing portions having the same cross sec- 'tional shape as said channel member and fitnel and corner reinforcing portions having an arcuated lower wearing surface of the same format-ion and adapted to join smoothly with each other at the connecting edges of the same.v

3. A milk bottle crate reinforcing edge including, a corner angle member split to form flanges which are mitered over the lower edge of the corners 'of said crate, means for holding said flanges in rigid position with the sides of the crate, an arcuated lower edge formed on that portion of said flanges extending over the lower edge of the corners of said crate, and a longitudinally extending reinforcing channel rail havin the same arcuated formation on the lower-surface thereof, said channel rail and said corner flangescoinc'iding to form a smooth uniform wearing surface. 1

' 4. In combination, a series of flat woodenslats combined together to form a crate, channel members having an arcuated lower surface secured tothe lowermost slats, inside and outside metal corner reinforcing members, said outside corner reinforcing memberhaving a split lower end to form flanges adapted to overlap. and form a mitered corner over the lower edge of the lower slat of said crate, the portion of said flanges overlapping the edges of the corners having an arcuated formation similar to the lower surface of said channel members to provide a smooth wear ing surface. at the corners of the crate. p

5. In combination, a-series of flat wooden slats, corner angle members adapted to connect said slats together to form the crate,

overlapping portions on said corner angle members adapted to extend over the bottom.

edge of the lower slat having an arcuated formation over the edge of the corner, and channel rails over the edge of the lower slat having the same arcuated lower edge forma tion as that of said overlapping portions of said cornerangle members.

6. A milk bottle crate having side walls, re

inforcing means for said side walls,-angle corner members, channe1'ra1ls,sa1d reinforcing corner members andsaid channel rails being formed with an arcuated wearing sur-' face extending over the lower edge of the side walls of said crate to provide a smooth rounded lower wearing edge for said crate.

7. In combination, a milk bottle crate having sidewalls formed of wooden slats, reinforcing and supporting angle iron means for the corners thereof, reinforcing channels for the lower edges of said side Walls, said channels and said angular reinforcing corner members having an arcuated lower Wearing edge of the same cross sectional shape.

8. A wearing edge for the bottom of a milk bottle crate including, an arcuated metal 10W- er outer Wearin surface extending over the entire bottom e ge of the crate including the corners, and means for securing said arcuated metal surface to the lower edges of a milk bottle crate.

EDWARD M. PENNOCK. 

